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Study Says Rumsfeld's Aspartame (NutraSweet) Causes Cancer

Much loathed former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld also has the dubious distinction of being the man running a pharmaceutical company called Searle, the creators of Aspartame, or NutraSweet, when the FDA approved it. Now, a new Italian study suggests that Aspartame causes cancer in lab rats.

Apparently, there were some questions at the time the FDA was testing Aspartame as to whether it causes cancer and it took quite a bit of time before it was finally approved. One has to wonder whether Rumsfeld's connections within the Republican party had any influence on the ultimate approval of the product.

The FDA has tested Aspartame on rats and claims it found no risks despite withholding initial approval due to just such concerns. A new Italian study kept the rats alive longer than the typical two years of the FDA studies and found what they believe is a conclusive link between cancer in the rats and Aspartame over prolonged exposure.

For the moment, the FDA has refused to review the Italian study citing years of its own testing showing the product to be safe.